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11 Free Calamari Alternatives Ranked by Real Users (2026)

Explore 11 alternatives to Calamari — vetted by our editors with real user reviews, pricing, and feature comparisons.

Compare 11 top free Calamari alternatives at a glance

Quick answer

Our top free hr software alternatives to Calamari are LeaveBoard, Planleave and Oyster. LeaveBoard ranks first with a SpotScore of 8.9 and 4.4★ from real users. The table below compares all 11 on score, rating, and pricing.

A tool that fits one team can frustrate another, so if Calamari is frustrating yours, these 11 hr software free alternatives are worth a look. We rank them by SpotScore, which combines verified user satisfaction with market presence, then ratings and pricing. The table gives a quick side-by-side; the sections below explain each pick.

ProductSpotScoreRatingPricingBest for
LeaveBoardStreamline your leave process, hassle-free.8.9★★★★ 4.4(6)Freefrom $1.35 /User/Monthteams of all sizes
PlanleaveEffortless leave planning for a stress-free team.7.9Not yet ratedFreefrom $1.99 /User/Monthteams of all sizes
OysterEffortless global employment made simple.8.4★★★★ 4.39(388)FreeFree Trial · Subscription · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
PaycorTransform your workforce with Paycor.9.6★★★★ 3.74(552)FreeFree Trial · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
TimetasticStreamline your leave management with ease.9.8★★★★★ 4.7(115)FreeFree Trial · Subscriptionsmall & mid-size businesses
BambooHRStreamline your HR processes for better business results.9.8★★★★★ 4.75(1093)FreeFree Trial · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
LatticeBoost sales performance with Lattice.9.7★★★★★ 4.7(1206)FreeFree Trial · Subscriptionteams of all sizes
HomebaseStreamline team collaboration with Homebase.9.7★★★★ 4.41(131)FreeFree Trial · Freemium · Subscriptionteams of all sizes
WorkableEfficient hiring, simplified for small businesses.9.6★★★★ 4.35(225)FreeFree Trial · Subscription · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
Zoho PeopleStreamline your HR tasks with ease.9.6★★★★ 4.4(204)FreeFree Trial · Freemium · Subscription · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
Breezy HRHire smarter, not harder.9.5★★★★ 4.3(432)FreeFree Trial · Freemium · Subscription · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes

8.9

SpotScore

LeaveBoard - Leave Management System

LeaveBoard

Streamline your leave process, hassle-free.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

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What is LeaveBoard?

LeaveBoard is an online leave management system that makes it fast and easy for employees to request, submit, approve, edit, and grant leaves. It lets employees submit requests on the phone, on the web, by email or fax, or via their smartphones. It allows its users to effectively manage their ...

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Free TrialTry Free →

7.9

SpotScore

Planleave - Leave Management System

Planleave

Effortless leave planning for a stress-free team.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

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What is Planleave?

Planleave is the perfect solution to ensure your team's productivity and satisfaction. Our intuitive interface and variety of integration options allows plans to be managed swiftly and seamlessly with existing tools and workflow. With Planleave, staying on top of who's in and who's out has ...

Read more about Planleave
Free TrialTry Free →

8.4

SpotScore

Oyster - HR Software

Oyster

Ideal for Startups

Effortless global employment made simple.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

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What is Oyster?

Oyster is a global employment platform that helps companies hire, onboard, pay, and manage international employees and contractors without setting up local entities. It automates compliant contract creation using region-specific labor rules and supports payroll in 140+ currencies from a single ...

Read more about Oyster
Free TrialTry Free →·

Starts from $25/employee/month

9.6

SpotScore

Paycor - HR Software

Paycor

Recommended

Transform your workforce with Paycor.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

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What is Paycor?

Paycor is a human capital management platform for mid-size businesses and nonprofits that need payroll processing, time tracking, benefits administration, and employee onboarding managed in a single system. It eliminates the need for separate payroll and HR tools by centralizing people ...

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Free TrialTry Free →·

Paycor offers custom pricing plan

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9.8

SpotScore

Timetastic - Leave Management System

Timetastic

Streamline your leave management with ease.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market

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What is Timetastic?

TimeTastic is a Leave Management System, tailored to suit business or organization needs. It provides with improved employee scheduling, improved reporting and analysis of working time, improved payroll processing by integrating with time and attendance systems, and other related services. It ...

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Free TrialTry Free →

9.8

SpotScore

BambooHR - HR Software

BambooHR

Streamline your HR processes for better business results.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

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Add to compare

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Watch Demo

What is BambooHR?

BambooHR is an HR platform built for small and mid-sized businesses — typically 10 to 500 employees — covering employee records, onboarding, time-off tracking, and performance management in one system. It replaces fragmented spreadsheets and disconnected tools by centralizing all employee data ...

Read more about BambooHR
Free TrialTry Free →·

BambooHR offers custom pricing plan

9.7

SpotScore

Lattice - Performance Management System

Lattice

Boost sales performance with Lattice.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

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Add to compare

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What is Lattice?

Lattice is a performance management platform for HR teams and people managers at fast-growing companies who run quarterly or annual appraisal cycles with structured goal tracking and 1:1 preparation. It integrates with Slack and Google Calendar to reduce manual data entry between performance ...

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Free Trial·

Starts from $9/User/Month

9.7

SpotScore

Homebase - Employee Scheduling Software

Homebase

Streamline team collaboration with Homebase.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

Add to compare

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Watch Demo

What is Homebase?

Homebase is a comprehensive time-tracking software developed by experienced people managers to enhance team collaboration and efficiency. It simplifies employee time tracking, scheduling, and payroll management, reducing administrative workload. The platform allows users to generate insightful ...

Read more about Homebase
Free TrialTry Free →·

Starts from $0/ location / month when monthly, also offers free forever plan

9.6

SpotScore

Workable

Workable

Efficient hiring, simplified for small businesses.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

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Add to compare

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Watch Demo

What is Workable?

Workable is the simple, affordable Applicant Tracking System (ATS) purpose-built for small businesses. Features include Integrated Company Management (Shell), Receive, review and approve applicants from desktop or mobile device in real time, Attract more applicants than traditional ATS products ...

Read more about Workable
Free TrialTry Free →·

Starts from $299/month when yearly

9.6

SpotScore

Zoho People - HR Software

Zoho People

Streamline your HR tasks with ease.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

Add to compare

What is Zoho People?

Zoho People is an HR management platform for small to mid-sized companies that need to manage attendance, leave, timesheets, and performance reviews without a standalone enterprise HCM. It automates routine HR workflows including employee self-service portals, holiday calendars, and shift ...

Read more about Zoho People
Free TrialTry Free →·

Starts from $1.25/User/Month when Billed Yearly, also offers free forever plan

9.5

SpotScore

Breezy HR

Breezy HR

Hire smarter, not harder.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

Add to compare

watch-demo

Watch Demo

What is Breezy HR?

Breezy HR is an applicant tracking system for small and mid-size hiring teams that want to automate recruiting workflows — job advertising, candidate scorecards, automated responses, and interview scheduling — without dedicated HR software expertise. Its drag-and-drop pipeline and team ...

Read more about Breezy HR
Free TrialTry Free →·

Breezy HR offers custom pricing plan

What each Calamari alternative is best known for

LeaveBoard8.9Best for teams of all sizes

LeaveBoard's flexibility in supporting both small and large organizations makes it an adaptable solution for teams with varying needs.

Watch for: The system might lack some advanced customization features for larger organizations with more complex leave policies or workflows.

Planleave7.9Best for teams of all sizes

Interface

Watch for: Limited customization options

Oyster8.4Best for teams of all sizes

Clear and consistent communication during the hiring and onboarding process, making it stress-free and straightforward.

Watch for: Occasional delays in handling processes, with specific mentions of tax-related or off-cycle payment issues.

Paycor9.6Best for teams of all sizes

Covers payroll, recruiting, onboarding, performance management, and benefits administration in one platform.

Watch for: Customer service response times are consistently slow, with no assigned representatives and frequent case mismanagement.

Timetastic9.8Best for small & mid-size businesses

Simplifies the holiday request process, eliminating the need for spreadsheets and enhancing organization.

Watch for: Limited advanced features and customization options may not fully meet the needs of more complex organizations.

BambooHR9.8Best for teams of all sizes

Automates HR processes including document signing, onboarding, and payroll.

Watch for: Lacks advanced features found in more comprehensive HRIS platforms.

Lattice9.7Best for teams of all sizes

Interface is structured for team appraisals with feedback loops and continuous improvement tracking.

Watch for: Some users find the tool a bit hard to learn initially, suggesting the need for more interactive demos.

Homebase9.7Best for teams of all sizes

Streamlines scheduling processes, making it easy to set and manage employee schedules.

Watch for: Limited customization options in the free version, with some advanced functionalities restricted.

Workable9.6Best for teams of all sizes

Simplifies recruitment by centralizing candidate information, increasing organization, and ensuring seamless collaboration across teams.

Watch for: Limited flexibility and customization options, such as restrictions on editing workflows and approval pathways, which can be a challenge for larger organizations.

Zoho People9.6Best for teams of all sizes

User-friendly interface that is easy to navigate, suitable for both technical and non-technical users.

Watch for: Slower learning curve for new users, especially when configuring complex workflows or customizations.

Breezy HR9.5Best for teams of all sizes

Simplifies recruitment with a user-friendly interface, requiring minimal training for new users.

Watch for: Occasional irrelevant applications can consume time, highlighting the need for better filtering or blocking policies.

Why teams look for a Calamari alternative

Why do teams want a Calamari alternative? Most point to issues like these:

  • User interface design is dated and needs a visual refresh.
  • Google Calendar sync does not allow filtering to specific team calendars.
  • Editing individual day-off rules manually is time-consuming when policies vary per employee.
  • Payment options are limited, with only PayPal available for non-US users.

How to find the right Calamari replacement

Where the 11 hr software free alternatives stand on price and rating: 11 offer a free tier; paid plans run $1.35–$1.99, with LeaveBoard the cheapest entry point; and BambooHR is the highest rated at 4.75 across 1093 reviews.

How each tool earns its spot.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Stuck on something? We're here to help with all the questions and answers in one place.

The top-rated alternatives to Calamari are BambooHR (4.8★), Timetastic (4.7★), Lattice (4.7★). Compare all 11 alternatives side-by-side above.

When evaluating alternatives to Calamari, prioritize: Leave Policy Management, Leave Balance Tracker, HR Dashboard, FMLA Tracking, Employee Portal, transparent pricing, free trial availability, and integrations with your existing tools. Use the filters above to compare by feature, budget, and team size.

Calamari starts from $10 /Month. Many alternatives offer similar functionality at different price points — some with free tiers, others with more flexible per-seat pricing. Use the filters above to narrow by budget.

Migration difficulty depends on how deeply Calamari is integrated into your workflows. Most alternatives offer data export/import tools and dedicated onboarding support. We recommend shortlisting 2–3 options, running a free trial, and checking each vendor's migration guides before committing.

How to choose the right Calamari alternative for you

  • On a budget / just exploring: start with a free tier — LeaveBoard, Planleave and Oyster let you evaluate without paying upfront.
  • If real-user ratings matter most: BambooHR has the strongest star rating (4.75★) among the options with verified reviews.
  • Want the safest pick: LeaveBoard has the highest Spotsaas Score (8.9) in this list — a strong default if you're unsure.

Moving off Calamari

Before retiring Calamari, take the cautious route. Export your data, make sure the new tool accepts it, and confirm the workflows you rely on transfer. Pilot on a free tier or trial, then go all in, leaving Calamari active until migration finishes.

Disclaimer: This research has been collated from a variety of authoritative sources. We welcome your feedback at [email protected].